


Saved

by Grinder1833



Series: Missing Moments [22]
Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Angst, Gap Filler, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-08
Updated: 2011-06-08
Packaged: 2017-10-20 05:44:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,079
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/209392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Grinder1833/pseuds/Grinder1833
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke and Noah are rescued from their kidnappers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saved

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters. They are the property of "As the World Turns" and P&G.
> 
> A/N: This fills in some of the blanks in the kidnapping story arc. I plan to follow this one up with 1 more fic dealing with the aftermath of the kidnapping. Actual dialog from the 4/28 episode of _As the World Turns_ is used in this fic. I felt it was the best way to make the story flow properly.

Luke’s stomach roiled and churned as if he’d drank a glass of acid. Being kissed by Zoe was like poison to his system. His body was desperately trying to reject the disgusting intrusion without much success. Luke was helpless, tied with his hands behind his back as Zoe’s mouth assaulted his. Having her tongue jammed inside his mouth made him want to vomit. Everything about this situation was vile…Zoe’s lips on his, her hands all over him, but her demand that he get her pregnant was what horrified him the most.

There had to be another way to save Noah. _Think…think…think…_

He had to try reasoning with her again or stalling…something. Zoe had to give Noah the medicine she stole from the hospital. And Luke had to convince her that it was going to be physically impossible for him to comply with her demand.

Luke managed to pull his mouth away from Zoe’s. “Stop it! Stop it!” he spat. “Are you crazy?”

“Let’s call it crazy for you,” she laughed, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Does that make you feel better?” Zoe slid her hand from his shoulder and began to play with his hair.

Luke felt as if his skin was crawling from her touch. She made him ill. He had to get her away from him. “I am not going to get you pregnant,” he told her.

“Your equipment works, doesn’t it? It’s the right time for me so no worries.” She moved in for another kiss, which he quickly evaded.

“Do you really think that you can force me into have sex with you?”

“Either you cooperate, Luke, or Noah doesn’t get the medicine he needs,” Zoe warned him.

Luke cringed as her lips latched onto his neck…nipping, licking, and sucking. Oh god no. What was he going to do? He couldn’t risk Noah’s life. But how could he have sex with Zoe? It was so wrong. She was repulsive. He didn’t want to get her pregnant. The list went on and on.

“That’s a good boy. A good little baby making boy,” she murmured, licking his neck.

Luke squirmed away from her hungry mouth. “Do you really think you’re going to get away with this?” he asked as her lips sought his neck out again. “Even if your plan does work, you’re gonna get caught. You’re gonna spend the rest of your life in jail,” Luke desperately tried to reason with her. “And even if you have your precious little Grimaldi you’re not going to be able to raise him.”

Zoe raked her fingers through Luke’s hair, staring deeply into his eyes. “But you will. Won’t you, Luciano? You’d never abandon your own son.” She smiled quite pleased with herself as if she knew Luke’s kryptonite. “And then he’ll get the money just like my mother should have.”

No…no…he couldn’t raise Zoe’s baby. But could he really desert his own child? No…he couldn’t do that. He’d never want a child of his to feel unloved. Luke had seen firsthand how it had affected Noah. Either scenario sent him into full blown panic mode. “No…no…I can’t do this. I can’t do this,” Luke insisted. “I won’t.”

Zoe sat back a bit, regarding his last statement. “Poor Noah,” she mocked. “I thought you loved him.”

“I do. You know I do!” he insisted. Damn her. She knew that he wouldn’t jeopardize Noah’s life.

“Then it’s simple. The quicker you give in. The faster he’ll get the meds,” she declared. “Just trust me…relax. Who knows, you might even enjoy it?”

There was no way in hell that Luke was going to enjoy it. “Zoe…Zoe…” Luke begged.

However, his pleas were ignored as Zoe’s head dipped into his lap. He could feel her nuzzling her check against his cock, which wasn’t hard.

 _God…please don’t let me get hard,_ Luke silently prayed. He couldn’t do this…he didn’t want this. Zoe’s lips grazed along the denim, seeking out his package. And when she found it, she placed a soft kiss on it.

“No!” Luke pleaded as his cock stirred a little. This couldn’t be happening. _No…no…no…_

Luke was pulled from his personal hell by an almost inhuman growl, which came from directly behind him. And before he knew it Zoe was yanked away from him, screaming and calling for Zac. It couldn’t be…

But it was, Luke discovered, looking over his shoulder. Noah had regained consciousness and somehow had Zoe in a headlock with his legs.

_Oh thank God._

Zac charged into the room gun drawn. “You let her go!” he demanded, pointing the gun at Noah.

No…not again! Luke felt panic grip him once more. This time Zac would shoot to kill.

But before Zac could fire, Damian was there wrestling the gun away from him. Luke had never been so happy to see his bio dad in his life. Damian would make sure that Noah got to the hospital. Noah would get the medicine he needed to fight the infection. Luke blinked back tears of relief. This nightmare might finally be over after all.

“Over there,” Damian ordered Zac, gesturing with the newly acquired gun in his hand. Then he waved the gun at Zoe, who was still pinned between Noah’s legs. “Move away from them.”

“I’m not finished!” Zoe spat as she struggled to get free.

“Yes, you are,” Damian informed her. “Away.”

Noah released his hold on her so that Zoe could join Zac at the far side of the room.

“Are you two okay?” Damian asked.

“I’m fine,” Noah replied.

Luke found that very hard to believe. He glanced over his shoulder only to discover that the towel that covered Noah’s wound was saturated with fresh blood. Dammit…Noah must have aggravated the wound during his struggle with Zoe. “No you’re not. You’re bleeding again,” Luke told him.

“Did they hurt you?” Damian asked, anger seeping into his voice.

“He’s been shot,” Luke informed him.

“We’ll get him the hospital,” Damian promised.

“I told you that I’m f…” Noah didn’t finish the sentence.

“Noah! Noah!” Luke shouted. No… he couldn’t lose him now! They’d been rescued. Noah had to find a way to hold on until he got to the hospital.

“Untie them,” Damian told Zac and Zoe. “You better pray that you didn’t hurt him too much.” As Zac began to untie Luke, Damian focused his attention on Zoe. “I knew it,” he said to her. “I knew it. When I saw that picture I knew…I knew I had seen you before. Gia Pinarosa.”

“This is all your fault!” Zoe cried. “That money belonged to my mother. If you never would have given it to Luke this would never have happened in the first place!”

As soon as Luke was free, he cradled Noah in his arms. “Noah, thank god,” he breathed when he found a pulse.

“Everyone freeze! Police!” Margo shouted as she barged into the room with a uniformed police officer, both of them with weapons drawn. “Are you two okay?”

“We’re fine. Noah needs a doctor,” Luke quickly informed her.

“Well thank god Casey told me about this place which is more than I can say about you, Damian,” Margo replied.

“My first thought was for my son,” Damian said, quickly glancing at her but never taking his gun off Zac and Zoe.

“Did you stop off to pick up at gun?” she asked.

“I got this from the kidnappers,” he told her.

Margo stuck out her hand. “Why don’t you hand that to me?”

Dammit, there was time to argue later. Noah needed to get to the hospital. “Margo, please,” Luke begged. “You need to call 911!”

“It’s okay. The ambulance is on its way,” she assured him. She turned to the officer with her. “Cuff ‘em.”

As Margo read Zac and Zoe their rights, Luke held Noah, petting and murmuring to him words of love and reassurance. Closing his eyes, he tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. He could feel Damian’s eyes on him, but Luke didn’t care if his bio dad was ashamed that Luke was falling apart in front of everyone. Noah almost died. And if the ambulance didn’t get there soon, he still could.

“Luke, I need to ask you some questions,” Margo’s voice cut into his thoughts.

Questions? How could she even dare to think that he was in any condition to answer any questions?

Before he could snipe at her, Damian was responding. “It’s going to have to wait,” he told Margo firmly. “Luke is in no condition to be interrogated right now. You can talk to him at the hospital later. We need to make sure that the boys are okay.”

For the first time in years, Luke just wanted to hug Damian. Knowing that he was really, truly on his side felt incredibly good. But this wasn’t the time or place to adequately express his feelings. He had to remain focused on Noah. He glanced up at Margo with pleading eyes.

“Where’s the ambulance?” he asked. “Noah needs help now.”

“It will be here any minute, Luke,” Margo tried to reassure him.

“Noah might not have that time!” Luke cried, frantic that Noah might be drifting away from him. He was so flushed and sweaty. Luke could feel the fever that was burning him up and his breathing seemed shallow. Noah hadn’t made a sound even when Luke pressed hard against the wound on his arm, trying to staunch the renewed bleeding.

“I’m going to take the boys to the hospital myself,” Damian decided.

Just as Damian finished his sentence the paramedics burst into the room, pushing a gurney. Luke was relieved to see them but at the same time he wasn’t ready to let go of Noah. He dropped a quick kiss on the top of Noah’s head.

“Baby, the paramedics are here,” Luke assured him. “They’re going to take care of you now.” And then he allowed the paramedics to take Noah from him, lifting his boyfriend onto the gurney.

“Luke,” Noah muttered.

“I’m right here, baby,” Luke said, touching Noah’s leg.

“Need… your meds...Luke…” Noah mumbled.

Noah needed to focus on himself and save his strength. He was fighting an infection and had lost a lot of blood. “Don’t worry. I’m fine.”

“What’s he talking about?” Margo asked.

“Luke…needs…kidney meds,” Noah panted as the paramedics fastened the straps around him, securing him in place.

“When was the last time you took your kidney medication, Luciano?” Damian asked, sounding scarily parental.

“The morning I was captured,” Luke replied, brushing off his concern. “But I’m fine, Damian. Noah needs me right now. I’m not leaving him. I’m going to ride with him in the ambulance.”

“And while you’re at the hospital, you’ll get checked out as well,” Damian said, then he approached one of the paramedics. “You need to make sure that Luke here sees a doctor once you get the hospital.”

“We will,” the paramedic assured him. “Okay…it’s time to roll!”

As Luke followed the gurney out of the room, he noticed Damian pull out his cell phone. Hopefully he was calling his parents to let them know that they were okay. They had to be going out of their minds with worry. Thankfully this hellish ordeal was almost over. Luke would relax entirely once he knew Noah was out of the woods.

“Is he going to be okay?” Luke asked once the ambulance was on its way to Oakdale Memorial.

“We’re going to do our best,” the paramedic assured him. “It looks like he’s lost a lot of blood. And the wound may be infected. Hopefully it didn’t turn septic.”

“That’s bad, isn’t it?” Luke asked, terrified of the answer.

“It could be. When was he shot?” asked the other paramedic.

“Yesterday.”

“Well, then hopefully it hasn’t been too long,” the paramedic assured him. “The doctors at Memorial will take good care of him.”

Luke reached for Noah’s hand. “You’re going to be okay, Noah. We’re almost to the hospital. Just hang on for me.”

Closing his eyes, Luke said a silent prayer that Noah would be able to pull through this. He had so much to live for. And Luke vowed to cherish every day they had together.

****

********

“I need to go with him,” Luke insisted as he jogged alongside the paramedics as they wheeled Noah’s gurney into the emergency room. “I have to make sure that he’s okay.”

“You need to get checked out yourself,” one of the paramedics told him.

“I’m fine.” Luke tried to brush him off. “I need to be with Noah.”

But before he could follow any further, Luke was intercepted by Dr. Bob. “Hi, Luke, I got a call from Damian that you’ve been without your anti-rejection drugs for a few days,” he said, placing his hand on Luke’s arm. “Now if you’ll come with me, I can examine you and get you your medicine.”

“I’m fine,” Luke said, trying unsuccessfully to step around him. “Noah is the one that needs help.”

“And he’ll get it,” Dr. Bob assured him as he steered him toward an examining area. “I really need to examine you, Luke. I can assure you that Noah is getting the best possible care. You’ll be able to see him once they’re done stabilizing him. I promise.”

“Okay.” Luke wrapped his arms around himself, trying to comfort himself. Now that the immediate crisis was over, he felt so dirty. Luke just wanted to crawl out of his skin, escape from the feeling of violation that nearly overwhelmed him when he remembered the feel of Zoe’s touch on him. It was as if she was still all over him…her grabbing hands lingering on his skin, her foul taste in his mouth. He had to get rid of this awful feeling. Now.

“I need a toothbrush and toothpaste,” Luke told Dr. Bob.

“Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to clean up once I’m finished examining you,” Dr. Bob assured him.

“No, I need them now,” Luke insisted, panicked at the thought of not being able to get rid of this disgusting feeling.

“Luke, this shouldn’t take too long…”

“No…now…I gotta do it now.” Luke was near tears.

“Okay...we’ll get you a toothbrush,” Dr. Bob assured him and then he turned to the nurse. “Sally, can you get Luke a toothbrush and some toothpaste please. And I’ll also need a dose of CellCept.”

“Sure, doctor. I’ll be right back.”

“Luke, why don’t you hop up on the bed so I can check you over,” Dr. Bob suggested gently as he pulled out his stethoscope.

Adamantly Luke shook his head. “I really need to brush my teeth first.” When he noticed the Dr. Bob’s somewhat puzzled expression he quickly added, “It’s been days since I brushed my teeth. I just feel really gross.”

“I understand, Luke, but it’s important that I examine you.”

“Ahh…do you think I can use the restroom while I wait for the toothbrush?”

“Actually, I’m going to need to get a urine sample from you so that will work out well.” Dr. Bob grabbed a specimen cup, labeling it with Luke’s information. “Just outside of here is a restroom. Once you fill the cup there’s a marked place for you to leave it.”

Luke took the cup from him. “I’ll be right back.” He ducked out of the curtained off examining area. Immediately he wondered where Noah was at. Was he still here in the ER? Had they taken him to surgery? Or was he safe in his own room? Although Luke was very tempted to find out he also knew that he needed to get a clean bill of health first.

The bathroom was right where Dr. Bob said it was. Luke locked the door behind him then took care of giving his urine sample. Once the specimen cup was in its designated area, Luke ripped off his gray hoodie which reeked of Zoe’s perfume. He tossed it in the trash can, hoping to rid himself of her smell. But her scent still seemed to be clinging to him. Luke marched over to the sink so he could wash his face and hands.

However, Luke froze when he caught sight of himself in the mirror that was above the sink. The sight of the angry red and purple bruise slightly beneath his left eye was nothing compared to what he noticed at the base of his neck just peeking out from the collar of his shirt…another reddish/purple bruise from Zoe although this one was much smaller and was a result of her mouth.

Luke’s stomach retched, causing him to dash over to the toilet where he lost what little food he’d had in his stomach. Wiping his mouth, he squeezed his eyes shut. Dammit…he needed to make Zoe go away.

But what if he couldn’t?

Quickly pushing that horrid thought from his mind, Luke forced himself back onto his feet and over to the sink where he rinsed out his mouth and then splashed some cold water onto his face. He was going to have to find a way to keep it together.

Luke was relieved to see a toothbrush and toothpaste waiting for him when he returned to the examination area. “Any word on Noah yet?” he asked.

“Not yet, but it’s nothing to worry about,” Dr. Bob replied. “We probably won’t hear anything until he’s settled into his room. I need you to take your CellCept for me.” Dr. Bob marched over to the sink where he filled a small cup with water and then handed Luke a paper cup containing a pill along with the cup of water.

“Sure...no problem.” Luke swiftly swallowed his medication, chasing it down with the water.

Then Luke thoroughly brushed his teeth, making his mouth minty fresh but it still wasn’t enough to vanquish the demons. He just prayed that Dr. Bob wouldn’t notice that he was on the verge of coming completely unglued.

“Hop up on the bed and let’s take a look at you,” Dr. Bob said, pulling out his stethoscope. He checked Luke’s blood pressure and then took his temperature, both of which were normal, and listened to his chest. “Any shortness of breath?”

“No.”

“What about extreme thirst, rapid heart rate, or feelings of weakness or lethargy?”

Luke almost laughed at that. “I don’t think any of those symptoms would be a result of my kidney given my circumstances the past few days,” he replied.

Dr. Bob smiled. “Fair enough. Lie back please.” He carefully pressed on Luke’s abdomen around the area of his transplanted kidney and asked if Luke was having any pain, which he wasn’t. When Luke sat up again Dr. Bob asked him to remove his socks and shoes and carefully checked his feet and ankles for signs of edema. Once satisfied, he turned his attention to the deep bruise under Luke’s eye.

“And how did this happen?”

“It was a punch,” Luke replied without going into any more detail. He flinched slightly has the doctor carefully pressed along his cheekbone.

“Well, it doesn’t seem like anything’s broken,” he said.

“Are you done? Can I go see Noah now?” Luke asked eagerly.

“Soon, Luke,” Dr. Bob assured him. “There are just a couple of more things before I release you.”

“Okay.” Whatever it was, Luke figured cooperation was the likely the quickest way through it.

“I have to ask, Luke… Were you abused in any way while you were held captive?” Dr. Bob asked.

Panic seized Luke’s body. Could Dr. Bob tell what Zoe had done to him…no _tried_ to do to him? There was no way. Well…there was that small mark on his neck, which Luke had to stop his hand from moving to self-consciously.

“No…nothing besides a punch to the face and a kick to the thigh,” Luke replied.

Dr. Bob regarded him for a long moment, a concerned expression on his face. “Are you sure?” he gently pressed.

“I’m positive. That’s it.”

Dr. Bob sighed. “All right. We’re going to need to run some blood tests. And I’d like to get you on some IV fluids for little while since you’re pretty dehydrated. I’ll send a nurse in here and while she’s hooking up the IV and drawing your blood, I’ll check on Noah’s condition. Sound good?”

Luke nodded. “Sounds great.”

A few minutes after Dr. Bob left a nurse returned to take his blood. Usually Luke hated having this done but today he knew it was getting him one step closer to seeing Noah again. He barely even flinched when she slipped the IV needle into his vein and taped the tubing down. All he cared about was when Dr. Bob would return with some news.

But as the minutes crept by without the appearance of Dr. Bob his anxiety began to build. He didn’t like being left alone…too much time to think, too much time to remember.

_“That’s a good boy. A good little baby making boy.”_

_“Poor Noah. I thought you loved him.”_

_“Just trust me…relax. Who knows, you might even enjoy it?”_

Luke fidgeted on the bed, desperately wanting to move, to do something, anything to clear his mind of Zoe’s words. She needed to get out of his head and stay out. Dammit. He ran the hand not attached to the IV tubing through his hair, muttering Noah’s name. If he focused on Noah then maybe Zoe would quit invading his thoughts. The nightmare needed to end.

“Good news, Luke,” Dr. Bob said, pulling back the curtain and walking over to him. He was carrying a sandwich wrapped in cellophane from the cafeteria, which he promptly handed to Luke. “First, I brought you something to eat since I’m sure you’re probably hungry. You need to eat to keep your strength up.”

Luke took the sandwich from him but made no move to unwrap it. “Thanks. I will,” he replied. “Is Noah okay?”

“Yes, he’s resting comfortably in a room which I’ll take you to just as soon as that IV finishes running in.”

“No way,” Luke declared, already reaching over to pull the IV tubing out of his arm. He was going to see Noah _now_.

“Okay, okay,” Dr. Bob quickly stopped him. “I don’t suppose I should have expected that to sit all right with you. How about, since you’re not leaving the hospital, we just take the IV with you?” He unhooked the IV bag from the stand on the bed and transferred it to a rolling pole with wheels.

Luke rolled the IV along with him as Dr. Bob escorted Luke from the examination area and towards the elevator. “The bullet has been removed and the wound was debrided of the dead and infected tissue. Then it was cleansed and packed with a sterile dressing,” Dr. Bob explained. They stopped in front of the elevator and he pressed the UP button. “They didn’t do a blood transfusion but his blood counts will be watched closely. If for some reason he should take a turn for the worse then they’ll do one.”

“What are the chances of that happening?” Luke asked, stepping inside the elevator.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Dr. Bob assured him as he pressed the button for the sixth floor. “If Dr. Reed thought a blood transfusion was absolutely necessary she would have done one. Noah’s also on IV antibiotics to fight the infection. He’s going to need physical therapy for his arm but Dr. Reed feels there is no reason why he won’t be able to regain full movement. All in all, Noah’s a very lucky young man.”

As far as Luke was concerned they both were lucky. “When can I take him home?”

“He’s going to be kept for a couple of days for observation and to continue the IV antibiotics. And when he goes home he’ll need to rest, but he should start physical therapy right away.”

“I’ll take him myself,” Luke said as they stepped off the elevator.

“If you have any other questions, Dr. Reed will be able to answer them for you.”

“I want to stay with Noah tonight. I’m not going to leave him. You know that he doesn’t have any family. I’m all he has…”

“Don’t worry, Luke,” Dr. Bob reassured him. “I’ve already told Dr. Reed and Noah’s nurses that you can stay with him.”

“Thank you,” Luke replied as they approached the door to Noah’s hospital room. “I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as I get your test results back, though it probably won’t be until tomorrow,” Dr. Bob explained, placing his hand on the door handle. “You also need to get some rest as well.”

“I will now that I know Noah is alright,” Luke promised. He was so anxious to finally see Noah again after being held for days with his back to his boyfriend, only able to touch Noah’s hands with his. Now Luke wanted be able to hug, kiss, hold, and take care of Noah.

Dr. Bob pushed open the door to Noah’s hospital room and then stepped aside so Luke and his IV pole could enter. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks again,” Luke replied smiling, eyes fixed on Noah, who was asleep.

As far as Luke was concerned, Noah looked great. There was a bit of color in his once deathly pale face, the sweat from his brow was gone, and his blood soaked shirt had been replaced with a white hospital gown. Noah looked so peaceful. Hopefully he wasn’t being haunted by visions of their captivity, but if he was Luke would be right there to assure him that he was safe.

Luke pulled up a chair and then carefully threaded the fingers of his free hand through Noah’s, not wanting to wake him from his slumber. Noah’s hand felt so warm and soft in his. Full of life was how Luke would describe it. Gently Luke lifted Noah’s hand, placing a light kiss on it.

“I’m here, Noah,” he whispered. “And I love you so much. We’re both safe now and we’re going to be okay.”

Luke wasn’t sure exactly how long he sat there, staring at Noah, reveling in the steady rise and fall of his chest. At some point a nurse came in and removed Luke’s IV line. She also scolded him to eat the sandwich Dr. Bob had given him. Once he took a bite, Luke realized how ravenous he really was and wolfed the whole thing down. Then he returned to watching his boyfriend. Finally, after what seemed like ages, Noah’s eyes fluttered open and focused on Luke.

“Hey,” Noah murmured, his voice dry and raspy.

Just hearing Noah’s voice brought Luke right out of his seat. “Hey,” he breathed, kissing Noah’s forehead, which garnered a contented sigh from his boyfriend. Luke then placed a soft kiss on the tip of Noah’s nose. Another happy sigh, which led to another kiss from Luke. This one zeroing in on Noah’s much missed lips, which were a bit dry and cracked but Luke knew they’d also heal. Luke’s gentle kiss was met with a tongue slipping into his mouth, followed by a quick flash of Zoe’s face which startled Luke, causing him to pull away from Noah.

Shit.

Quickly he pushed the horrible feeling that had suddenly overwhelmed him aside. “How are you feeling?” he asked, praying that Noah hadn’t picked up on his sudden unease.

“Like I got shot in the arm,” Noah deadpanned.

Luke broke into a full out grin. Great to see Noah’s sense of humor had returned. “Funny you should say that…”

His response got a chuckle out of Noah, who now sported a smile that matched Luke’s. “How are you feeling?” he asked, squeezing Luke’s hand.

“I’m good,” Luke assured him. “I took my meds and had something to eat. Dr. Bob ran a bunch of tests on me. I’m still waiting for the results, but he seemed pretty confident that there isn’t anything to worry about.”

“Thank God.”

“Thanking God has been what I’ve been doing ever since I heard you were going to be okay.” Luke lovingly gazed up at Noah. “Dr. Bob also told me that your doctor said that there’s no reason why you can’t make a full recovery.”

“Good.” Noah grinned. “I was afraid that I’d never play the violin again.”

“You don’t play the violin, dork,” Luke giggled, so happy that Noah could smile and joke again.

“Damn,” Noah sighed. “There goes my aspiration to be Jack Benny.”

“Who? Is he some famous violin playing director?”

Noah chuckled, “No…never mind.”

“Someday I will get all of your dumb jokes.”

“We have the rest of our lives for that,” Noah said, caressing Luke’s cheek.

“Yes we do,” Luke agreed. “And I’m never going to take being with you another day for granted again. I’m just so sorry that you were dragged into this mess in the first place.”

“Hey, it wasn’t…”

“Hello, Noah,” a middle aged African American woman said as she stepped into the room. “It’s good to see you awake.”

“I’m glad to be awake.”

“I’m Dr. Reed,” she introduced herself.

“You were Damian Grimaldi’s doctor a couple of weeks ago when he was stabbed,” Noah said.

Luke unconsciously stiffened at the mention of his bio dad’s name. Old habits where going to be hard to break. Where was Damian anyway? Hadn’t he wanted to make sure they were okay? And what about his parents? Shouldn’t they have been there by now too?

“You have a good memory,” she said, picking up his chart and flipping through it. “Looks like you’re doing well. I just wanted to get your vitals again and make sure that you’re still progressing nicely.” Dr. Reed glanced at Luke. “Do you think you can excuse us for a few minutes?”

“Ah…sure.” Luke reluctantly got up and stepped away from Noah’s bed.

“I don’t want Luke to leave,” Noah quickly told her. “He’s my boyfriend. Actually…he’s so much more. I don’t…”

“He doesn’t have to leave,” she assured her patient. “He’s just fine where he’s at. I just needed a little more elbow room. That’s all.”

Luke watched as Dr. Reed asked him a few questions as she checked his IV. Just as she was getting out her stethoscope, Luke’s attention was drawn away from Noah as the door to the hospital room opened, revealing Luke’s very relieved parents. “Luke!” Lily exclaimed as she and Holden entered the room.

He dashed straight over to his mother, filling her waiting arms. There had been times when he’d wondered if he’d ever be able to hug his mom again. But they were all safe and sound now.

“Hey, Noah,” Holden said, smiling over Luke’s shoulder. “It’s good to have you home.”

“How are you feeling?” Lily asked him. “Luke told us what happened.”

“I’m fine,” Noah assured them. “Don’t listen to him. He likes to make a fuss about everything.”

Luke’s jaw dropped. “Hey…will you just behave yourself and let the doctor attend to you?” Noah responded with a smirk, which made him chuckle despite himself. Oh he was so gonna get it once they were alone. Luke turned to his parents. “How are you guys?” he asked them.

“Great now that you’re back,” Lily replied.

Holden placed his hand on Luke’s arm. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not hurt or anything?”

“Yeah…I’m fine,” he said, but he was eager to get the focus off of him. Luke didn’t want his parents to press the issue. Questions were bound to be asked…questions he wasn’t ready to answer and probably would never really be ready to answer. “Mom, they were threatening you so much…”

“I’m fine,” Lily assured him.

“No thanks to Damian,” Holden muttered.

Lily shot him a look. “Never mind that. How is Noah? Is he going to be alright?”

“Well…apparently the gunshot wound is infected so he’s going to have to be on antibiotics,” Luke explained. “They’re hoping they don’t have to do a blood transfusion.”

“Is there anything we can do?” Lily asked.

“The doctors said that they have it all under control. I just wish that Noah didn’t try to be a hero,” Luke said. Although he was very happy to have been saved from Zoe, Luke never wanted Noah to put his own life in danger for him.

“What happened?” Holden asked.

Luke hesitated for a moment. So much had happened. And all of it needed to be forgotten. “Ahhh…he was protecting me but, you know, I really don’t want to get into it right now,” he said, hoping that his parents would respect his wishes and let the subject drop without an argument.

“Of course not. Not unless you want to,” Lily assured him.

“Yeah…that’s fine,” Holden replied. “The important thing is you’re okay. And Noah is going to be okay.”

His parents were the best. He loved them so much. Luke’s mom gave him another hug and Luke also felt Holden’s strong arm around him. A Snyder group hug. Wow…that hadn’t happened in years. Luke only wished Noah could be a part of it too since he was family.

Holden was the first to speak when they pulled apart. “Since you’re sure that things are going to be okay with Noah, I’m going to head down to the police station and see what’s going on.”

“I’m sure that Margo has everything under control,” Lily interjected.

“Yeah…yeah…I’m sure she does too, but I’ll sleep a lot better tonight knowing that those kidnapers are behind bars,” Holden replied.

Lily nodded in agreement. “I’ll stay here with the boys. I’ll call you if anything changes.”

“Okay.” Holden said and then took a step toward Luke. “Never… _ever_ scare your mother like that again, okay?”

Luke raised his hands in mock surrender. “I won’t,” he assured him with a smile.

“Alright. I’ll be back in a bit.” Holden turned and let himself out of the room.

“You know…whenever he gets really scared he puts it all on you,” Luke told his mother.

“Luke, we were going out of our minds,” Lily sighed. She placed her hand on his arm. “Why don’t we go out in the hall and give the doctor some space?”

“Okay,” he agreed, then looked over his shoulder at Noah. “Noah, we’re going to be out in the hall. Are you going to be okay?”

“Ummm…I’ll be fine. It doesn’t look like I’m going anyplace any time soon,” he replied, forcing a reassuring grin.

Luke smiled at him. Not once since Luke had been in Noah’s room with him had he complained. And god knows he had a lot to complain about. But Noah just seemed so happy to be safe and alive.

Luke sighed loudly once they stepped into the hall. “I never thought I’d say this, but it feels so good to be in this hospital.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Anything is better than that pit they kept us in.”

“They’re going to pay for everything that they put you through.”

“Good.”

“Luke, I didn’t want to admit this, not even to myself but… there was a time when…I didn’t think we were all going to get out of this in one piece,” Lily confessed.

Damn Zac and Zoe for putting his mother through hell. They must have really done a number on her in order for her to begin to give up hope. “I knew something happened. What did they do to you?”

“Damian figured out that Gia or Zoe…whatever she calls herself…was the one that kidnapped you,” Lily explained.

“Well…she seems to think that she’s the rightful heir to the Grimaldi fortune. Now is she just crazy or is there something to that?”

Lily shook her head. “She did through her mother. Damian figured out a way to trap her into making a mistake but unfortunately I got knocked out and she ran away.”

His mother confronting crazy Zoe? And getting knocked out? “Oh my god,” Luke sighed. “You could have really been…”

“I wasn’t. I wasn’t,” Lily quickly reassured him. “And I don’t regret it because Damian was obviously onto something and if it hadn’t been for him…we wouldn’t have figured out how or where to find you, Luke.”

“If it hadn’t been for Damian, I may not be here. If he hadn’t shown up and somehow managed to get that gun away from Zac…I don’t know what would have happened,” Luke admitted, still a bit bewildered that the man he had thought was so heartless and cruel was neither. Damian had put his life on the line to save Luke and Noah…his boyfriend. The man who had wanted to send Luke away to that awful camp had changed. Damian really, truly accepted Luke and his love for Noah.

Lily placed her hands on Luke’s shoulders. “I don’t even want to think about that.”

“You got knocked out. Damian could have been shot. You both risked your lives for me.”

Lily looked at him as if he was crazy. “We’d do it again in a second. You’re out son, Luke. Protecting you is our job.”

Luke hugged his mother, squeezing his eyes shut. He was the luckiest guy in the world, surrounded by so much love. All of his parents had risked their own lives for him and Noah. And he knew they’d do it again in a heartbeat.

****

********

_Noah was on his knees as long fingers threaded through his hair. And then his mouth was full. His lips wrapped around a hard cock, being coaxed to take it deeper into his mouth. But something wasn’t right. He tried to look up but it was so dark. But then there was a flash of light._

_“Noah, how could you?” Luke cried._

_How could Luke be over there? Wasn’t this Luke’s dick in his mouth?_

_“He’s my monster now,” Zac’s voice sneered._

_No!_

_“Damn you, Noah!” Luke screamed._

_And then there was a loud bang, followed by so much pain and wetness. Noah fell back. Oh god…Luke had actually shot him!_

_Nooo..._

 

Noah’s eyes fluttered opened. And there was Luke sitting by his bedside, playing with Noah’s hand. His eyes were filled with love, not the hatred that had been in his nightmare. Squeezing Luke’s hand, Noah willed his heart rate to slow down. Luke didn’t need to know about his nightmare. Hopefully he wouldn’t have another one.

Luke raised his eyebrows, grinning slightly as Noah focused on him. “Hey there.”

“Hey there yourself,” Noah murmured.

“Listen…ummm…I should probably thank you for saving me from a fate worse than death,” Luke said, forcing a bit of a laugh. “But next time…please…please don’t try and be a hero.”

Noah sensed that if he tried to contradict Luke at this point it would probably lead to a disagreement. And he wasn’t so sure he was ready to seriously discuss some of the things that they’d endured while they were kidnapped. So Noah chose safety in humor. “Well…I didn’t do that for you. I just couldn’t stand to see the psycho slut with her hands all over my boyfriend,” he replied.

Luke’s eyes didn’t match his smile. There was a trace of pain there. But then as quickly as it appeared it was gone. Luke grinned broadly. “I love you.”

“And I love you too,” Noah replied softly. He loved Luke so…so…much. And he couldn’t wait to show him just how much again.

However, his visions of being locked away somewhere with Luke making love for days on end was interrupted by Lily who had slipped into his hospital room. “I see the patient has finally opened his eyes,” she said happily, strolling over to his bed. She placed her hand on his arm. “Is there anything I can get you, Noah?”

“Ahhh…a new arm would be great if they had one out there,” Noah quipped, which got a bit of laughter out of Luke and Lily.

“Actually the doctor says your arm is going to be just fine,” she told him. “You’re a very lucky young man. Do you know that?”

Noah’s eyes shifted to the beautiful man sitting at his bedside. “Yeah…I do.”

Luke grinned at him, his eyes shining with pure love now. Whatever had been haunting him before seemed to be long gone.

Their little exchanged didn’t go unnoticed by Lily. “Ohhh…I think that’s my cue to give you guys some privacy,” she said, backing away from the bed.

Noah laughed as he caressed Luke’s arm. “No…please…don’t…don’t feel like you have to leave.”

“No, there are a lot of people out there that want to know that you boys are fine and doing well so I better start making all of those calls.” Lily hesitated once she reached the door, glancing back at them. “Take good care of each other,” she said, before disappearing out the door.

Luke leaned against the bed, staring up at Noah. He threaded his fingers through Luke’s. “So…umm… when are you going to say it?” Noah asked.

“I thought I already did.”

“No, not I love you.”

Luke sat back, regarding him for a moment. “Then what?”

“That I was right about your fa- ” Noah caught himself before he could finish the word. He didn’t want to get Luke all riled up by referring to Damian as his father. “About Damian. He really came through for us.”

Which was putting it quite mildly. Damian had risked his life to rescue them. While Noah could fully understand why he’d do that for Luke, he was still a bit overwhelmed that Damian had also done it for him. Damian barely knew him but he’d accepted him…something his own father never had done.

Luke nodded. “You’re right…he did.”

To say that Noah was surprised how easily Luke had agreed with him was an understatement. Could all of those days being held hostage have made Luke change his mind about Damian? Noah prayed that some good could come from this hellish ordeal.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Noah gently pressed.

“I don’t know,” Luke admitted.

Well Noah did know. Luke needed to let Damian know how grateful he was for saving them. He also try to have some sort of relationship with Damian. But Noah couldn’t tell Luke these things; they were something Luke needed to figure out on his own.

Noah brought Luke’s hand to his lips, kissing it. “You’ll figure it out,” he murmured.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Lily said, peeking her head back inside the room. “But I need to see Luke out in the hall for a minute.”

“Is everything alright?” Luke asked, concerned.

“Yes…your father is on his way back from the police station. He just wants to talk to us.”

“Can’t he talk to us in here?”

“Luke, it’s okay,” Noah assured him. “If there’s anything I need to know you can fill me in on it later.”

“Okay,” Luke relented, getting up from the chair. But before he followed his mother out of the room he placed a kiss on Noah’s forehead. “I love you,” he whispered.

“Same here.” Noah grinned up at him.

Luke just shook his head as he followed Lily out the door.

Noah shut his eyes. God he was exhausted, but he didn’t want to fall asleep. He wanted to stay awake so he could see, touch, and talk to Luke. And as soon as he got out of the hospital they would be able to properly celebrate their freedom.

“Noah?” Lily’s voice interrupted his thoughts a moment later.

“Yeah?” Noah asked, opening his eyes. Lily was standing in the doorway to his room. Behind her in the hallway, Holden was pacing back and forth.

“Luke is going down to the police station,” she told him. “He’ll be back soon.”

Hearing the words ‘Luke’ and ‘police station’ made him sit up straighter. “Is everything alright?”

“Well…it seems that Zac and Gia are saying that Damian was the mastermind behind the kidnapping.”

“That’s just crazy!” Noah exclaimed, his blood pressure rising. “Damian had nothing to do with it. He saved us.”

“And that’s what Luke said so he’s going to tell Margo that,” Lily calmly explained. “Holden and I were about to head there as well but if you’d like one of us to stay with you…”

“No…no…please go,” he told her. “I’ll be fine. I should probably try taking another nap.”

“Okay. Luke will be back as soon as he can.”

“If Margo doesn’t believe Luke she can talk to me because I can assure her that Damian is completely innocent.”

“Thank you, Noah. I’m so sorry you were dragged into this mess.”

“I’m not.”

Lily smiled and then shut the door behind her.

Noah grinned. Luke was off saving Damian. A couple of weeks ago Noah never thought it would be possible. Now Luke and Damian might be able to put the past behind them, make amends. They could actually end up having a father/son relationship. Noah had wanted that for Luke since Damian had returned to Oakdale.

“Dinner time,” a middle aged nurse sang as she entered the room carrying a tray.

Normally the thought of hospital food wouldn’t appeal to him, but Noah hadn’t had any substantial food in almost a week. The smell of his dinner made his stomach rumble. Even though the meal looked nothing like one of Emma’s feasts, Noah was still looking forward to eating every last bit of it.

The nurse put the tray down on the bedside table and wheeled it in front of him. “Enjoy. Just ring if you need anything else,” she said before leaving him alone with his dinner.

Noah was halfway done eating the dry chicken breast when Alison breezed into the room. Smiling, he set down his fork. “Hi, Ali,” he greeted her.

“I could come back later after you finish your dinner,” she said, stopping at the foot of his bed.

“No, please…stay,” he insisted. “I’m about done with this anyway.”

Alison peered at his plate. “You only ate half of it.”

“I’m kinda full.”

“And the chicken is kinda bad, isn’t it?” she said, sitting down in the chair next to his bed.

“Yeah,” he admitted.

“Do you think you can at least finish the rest of your green beans? It looks like you only have a couple of bites left,” she said, going into nurse mode.

“If I do could you get me some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups?”

“Yes, I suppose can do that for you. You’re a shrewd patient,” she laughed. “I feel sorry for your nurse.”

“Hey…I’ve been a perfect gentleman,” Noah maintained. “So… how have you been?”

Alison’s grin slowly faded. “Alright… I’m the one who gave the meds to that girl who kidnapped you. God, did she ever give me the creeps. And that was before I knew who she really was. I’ll never forget her eyes,” she said, shuddering. “They were so cold…almost like a snake’s. She seemed like she could kill someone without giving it a second thought.”

Then Alison shook off her unease and focused on him. “But how are you doing, Noah? I know you and Luke must have gone through hell…”

“I’m fine,” Noah quickly replied, wanting to change the subject. He wanted to put that awful storage locker and the time he was held there behind him. “We’re both fine. I should be out of here in a couple of days.”

“I’m sure Luke will smuggle you a burger from Al’s,” Alison teased. “Is that what he’s doing now?”

Noah shifted uncomfortably. “He’s at the police station. Margo needed clarification on a few things. I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” he explained quickly. Somehow they were back on the subject of the kidnapping and he didn’t like it.

Alison glanced at her watch. “Well…my break is almost over, but I’m going to run and get you your peanut butter cups,” she said, rising from the chair.

“You don’t really have to.”

“One cannot live on hospital food alone,” she informed him, strolling toward the door.

A few minutes later she returned with his peanut butter cups…heaven in an orange wrapper. Noah wolfed both of them down in a few bites. The peanut butter/chocolately goodness was a party in his mouth. As far as he was concerned, there was no better flavor combination.

His nurse came by to check his vitals and change his IV bag. She didn’t give him a hard time about not eating all of his chicken, which was a relief. As she took away his dinner plate, she assured him that he was doing just fine.

There was that word again. Fine.

Noah wanted to be fine…better than fine actually. But deep down he knew he wasn’t. If everything was okay, he’d be able to nap like he’d told Lily he was going to. Noah was afraid to close his eyes though…afraid that he’d be transported back to that small, dark, dingy room…all alone…or worse yet…alone with Zac.

“Hey, bub,” Luke said, sauntering into his room, eyes bright, smile wide and electric.

Noah grinned with relief. He was saved from the darkness. “Hey,” he said, lifting his hand off the bed, reaching out to Luke’s. He grasped it, pulling Luke toward him for a kiss, but instead of kissing Noah on the lips, Luke quickly kissed his cheek.

Noah patted the spot next to him on the bed. “Sit and talk to me,” he said.

Luke did just that. “So I told Margo that Damian had nothing to do with the kidnapping.”

“I can’t believe she believed a word Zac or Zoe said.” Noah was incredulous. What the hell was wrong with the Oakdale PD? Damian had rescued them, not ordered their abduction. If Noah weren’t laid up in the hospital, he’d already be marching down to the police station to give Margo and the rest of them a piece of his mind.

“Well…I can. I mean think about it, Noah. Those two are expert pretenders. Their whole life was an act.”

“True,” Noah reluctantly admitted.

“And with all of the suspicions I had about Damian …you know…you can’t blame Margo for hers.”

“I bet he was happy that you stood up for him.”

“Yeah…I guess.” Luke shrugged it off.

Noah was surprised that Luke was being so blasé about what he did. “You guess? What did he say when you went to bat?”

“Oh I didn’t. I just told Margo what I knew and left.”

“Without talking to Damian at all?”

“What am I supposed to say to him?” Luke asked, frustrated. “I mean…I don’t know what kind of relationship we can have…if any at all…so…”

Noah averted his eyes. Why was Luke still looking for excuses? He should be talking to Damian…giving him another chance, but Luke seemed so hell bent on running the other way. Sometimes his boyfriend just downright baffled him.

“What? Noah. I can hear you thinking so…”

“I think before you start worrying about where things could lead you should get to know him better,” Noah suggested.

“Why?”

“You’re never going to get to know Damian…I mean, who he is…what he is…who you are…that whole side of the family…if you don’t try. Everything that has happened to us the past couple of weeks is telling you that. Maybe…maybe you should listen.”

“I didn’t think about it that way,” Luke quietly admitted as he fidgeted with the blanket on Noah’s bed.

“You need to talk to him,” Noah gently pressed. “It can’t hurt, right?”

“Right.”

Noah smiled. “Wow…agreeing with me again. I can definitely get used to this.”

“Don’t count on it.” Luke playfully nudged him.

Noah sought out his hand, needing more contact with his boyfriend. He’d missed him in the hour that Luke had been at the police station. Silently, Noah chastised himself for being so needy. But when Luke squeezed his hand and brought it to his lips for a kiss, Noah realized that he wasn’t the only one who was still feeling a little bit vulnerable.

“You should go talk to Damian,” Noah decided, although he wasn’t looking forward to Luke leaving him again.

“Now?”

“Yeah…now.”

Luke frowned. “But I just got back. Are you trying to get rid of me?”

“No way, Snyder,” Noah said, lovingly gazing up at him. “I just think it’s best if you talked to Damian now rather than later.”

“You’re afraid that if I wait I’ll change my mind,” Luke countered.

Noah nodded. “Yeah…I am.”

Luke let go of Noah’s hand. “Thanks a lot,” he muttered. “Glad to see you have so much faith in me.”

Closing his eyes, Noah took a moment to compose himself, because he would not lose his temper with Luke. They had just been to hell and back. Luke needed to get past a lot of hurt and betrayal on Damian’s part.

“I do have faith in you,” Noah insisted when he opened his eyes. Luke looked like a scared little boy who’d just been beaten up. Tentatively he reached up, touching the angry bruise on Luke’s cheek. At first Luke stiffened when Noah’s hand made contact with his skin, but then he leaned into Noah’s hand, seemingly savoring his touch. “I know this isn’t easy for you.”

Luke’s lips turned up into a brief grin. “Which is why I should just get this over with…kinda like when you need to swallow some bad medicine…it’s just better if you gulp it down right away.”

“That’s one way of putting it…”

“Knock knock…” Lily said, stepping into Noah’s room. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m back.”

“Where’s Dad?” Luke asked.

“He stayed behind to talk to Damian,” she replied.

“That should be…interesting,” Luke muttered.

“I was going to grab a coffee,” Lily said, quickly changing the subject. “Did you want one?”

“No…I’m good,” Luke said, then turned back to Noah. “Did you need anything?”

“I’m going to hold out for a mochachino from Java,” Noah quipped.

Lily smiled. “Okay…I’ll be back in a few minutes.” And then she ducked out of the room again.

“Your mom doesn’t have to stay here on my account,” Noah said. “I’m sure she has better things to do then keep watch over me.”

“Hey,” Luke murmured, squeezing Noah’s hand. “You’re part of the family. Don’t you know that once you’re in a framed photo in the Snyder family room that you’re in for life?”

Noah titled his head. “Is that how it works?”

Luke grinned. “Yup…that and the fact that I’m crazy in love with you. And my family simply adores you too.”

“So…Holden and Damian are talking.” Noah causally steered the conversation back to Damian. He wanted to make sure that Luke was going to talk to Damian very soon.

“Talking…probably not…fighting…arguing…that would be more like it.” Luke sighed. “I can’t blame my dad though. He’s very protective of me when it comes to Damian. He’s seen firsthand all of the shit I went through because of him.” Luke’s eyes suddenly took on a faraway look, which made Noah wonder where Luke had gone.

“That’s understandable. But it’s also another reason you should talk to Damian,” Noah pressed carefully. “If you and Damian can make peace then maybe your father can do the same.”

Luke ruefully chuckled. “Maybe when hell freezes over. There’s way too much bad blood there which goes beyond me.”

Right. Lily. “Understandable,” Noah admitted. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to have to deal with a former lover or husband of Luke’s. God…he prayed that another man would never come between them.

Luke stood up, stretching his arms above his head. “I guess I better talk to Damian before my dad runs him out of town.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks…I’ll need it,” he said, placing another soft kiss on Noah’s forehead. “I won’t be long.”

“I’ll be fine,” Noah assured him. “Take all the time you need.” Luke trying to work things out with Damian definitely trumped him sitting at Noah’s bedside holding his hand.

Noah knew that he should take advantage of this time alone to nap. His eyes felt so heavy, but he was still afraid to allow them to close. Afraid of what horrendous visions might be lying in wait for him…Zac, Zoe, guns, Luke suffering…he couldn’t bear reliving any of it. He needed to escape.

And then he found the perfect way. Snatching the remote for the TV, Noah turned it on and sought out one of his old friends. _Dr. Gillespie’s Criminal Case_ was showing on TCM. He had seen this Lionel Barrymore movie when he was in junior high school, but it didn’t matter. He could watch the classics countless times.

Luke returned just as Roy Todwell, a homicidal manic, had broken out of prison. Noah shut off the TV so he could focus on his boyfriend. And he’d seen enough homicidal maniacs to last him a lifetime.

“You don’t have to turn off the movie on my account,” Luke said, flopping into the chair next to Noah’s bed.

“You’re better than anything on TCM,” Noah said, caressing Luke’s arm. “So how did the talk with Damian go?”

Luke shifted slightly in the chair and shrugged. “I guess it went okay.”

“Care to elaborate?” Noah asked, reaching for Luke’s hand again, hoping that their entwined fingers would give him the strength and reassurance he needed.

Luke took a deep breath. “I admitted to Damian that I didn’t really know him or much about the Grimaldis. And then I told him that I wanted him to stay in Oakdale, which I think shocked the shit out of him.” This revelation made Luke chuckle.

“I bet he was pleased to hear that you wanted him to stay,” Noah said as a smile crept to his lips. Pleased was probably an understatement, knowing how badly Damian had wanted to reconnect with Luke. Noah was so happy for both of them.

“Yeah.” Luke nodded. “I don’t think my parents are going to be too thrilled but hopefully hearing that it’s what I want will soften the blow.”

“Are you happy you asked him to stay?”

“Yes…thanks for giving me the push I needed.”

“You would do the same for me. That’s what boyfriends do…support each other,” Noah replied, gazing at Luke and wanting to do so much more than hold his hand.

Luke scooted his chair closer to Noah. “We’re more than boyfriends. You’re everything to be me,” he quietly admitted.

Noah slowly drew Luke toward him. “Come here…”

“Noah…” Luke was temporarily silenced with a kiss, which he immediately pulled away from.

Okay, something wasn’t right. That was the second time since their rescue that Luke had abruptly ended a kiss. “What’s wrong?” Noah asked. “Did I do something…?”

“No, of course not,” Luke assured him. “But we are in a hospital and they are bending the rules by letting me stay here. I just don’t want a doctor or nurse to walk in on us making out.”

“We weren’t exactly making out,” Noah pointed out.

Why did it seem like Luke was avoiding kissing him on the lips? He knew that it couldn’t have anything to do with Luke’s feelings for him. Luke loved him…everything about his actions reaffirmed it…well…except the kissing. But maybe he was reading too much into Luke’s behavior. Luke was probably exhausted. He needed rest.

“I know but…”

Noah didn’t get to hear the rest of Luke’s explanation because Jade suddenly burst into the room, carrying a large duffle bag which she promptly tossed to the floor as she flew across the room and pulled Luke from his seat.

“I was so worried that I’d never get to see you again!” she cried, hugging him tightly. “You have to promise me that you won’t make friends with any more psychos.”

“I’ll do my best,” Luke said as he untangled himself from her embrace.

“The same goes for you,” Jade said, peeking her head around Luke. “How are you doing, Noah?”

“I’m good.”

After hearing Noah’s response, Jade’s focus immediately shifted back to her cousin. “I brought you a change of clothes, something to sleep in, a razor, all of your hair care shit, your toothbrush and everything else from your list. I even double checked to make sure that I didn’t forget anything.”

“Thank you,” Luke said, giving her another quick hug. “You’re a lifesaver.” Then Luke turned to him. “Do you mind if I grab a quick shower?”

“Of course not,” he replied, hoping that Luke would feel better once he was able to clean up.

Luke snatched the duffle bag from the floor. “I’ll be out in a few.”

Jade sat down in the chair that Luke had vacated. “I’ll just keep your gorgeous boyfriend company. You better not take too long or else I may steal him right out from under your nose.”

“In your dreams,” Luke smirked before he disappeared into the bathroom.

Noah slowly shook his head. “As beautiful as you are, you don’t have a shot in hell.”

“No shit,” Jade smugly replied. “No one could ever come between you two. Luke is so ridiculously in love with you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Noah assured her.

“So, did you take a bullet for my cousin?” she asked, cocking her head to the side as she studied him.

Noah had to smile. He would never be free from her scrutiny, which didn’t bother him. Jade definitely had Luke’s back and he could never fault her for it. When Jade had returned to Oakdale, he and Luke had been going through a rough time. Jade had tried to talk some sense into Noah, which he had rebuffed, foolishly thinking that his relationship with Luke had gotten to the point where it was irreparable. Had he ever been wrong.

“No…it wasn’t anything heroic like that…although I would in a heartbeat,” he admitted.

“So would he,” she replied, patting Noah’s hand. “I’m just so happy that you’re both safe. We have to all go out and celebrate once you feel up to it.”

“It’s a deal.”

Luke’s shower took almost an hour. At first Noah hadn’t noticed how long he was taking because Jade had been entertaining him with countless stories… some about Luke, some about her adventures in Miami. But after awhile Noah started to wonder if his boyfriend was ever going to emerge from the bathroom. When Luke finally wandered out of the bathroom wet, shirtless, and looking sexy as fuck, Noah couldn’t take his eyes off him. And damn if his dick wasn’t starting to get hard.

Noah’s eyes hungrily inched across Luke’s body, starting at the waistline of his gray lounge pants which hung low on his hips, revealing a trace of his navy blue boxer briefs. Noah slowly drank in Luke’s abs, which were dusted with light brown hair. Oh how he longed to run his hand over them and then sink it deep into Luke’s underwear, seeking out his beautiful cock.

Easy. Easy there.

Forcing his eyes upward, Noah honed in on Luke’s pink nipples which were nice and stiff, just begging for Noah’s mouth. Soon… soon… he told himself. Then his eye fucking of Luke’s body came to an abrupt halt as he spotted a small hickey at the base of Luke’s neck. Noah’s breath hitched. This wasn’t from him. It was too new.

Oh fuck. Zoe.

As if Luke could sense what Noah had seen, Luke quickly draped the towel he’d been holding around his neck, covering up the offensive sight. Concerned, Noah moved his gaze to focus on Luke’s face…more precisely his eyes, which harbored a bit of sadness and fear.

Now it was all making sense. Why hadn’t Noah realized it sooner? Luke was almost raped this afternoon. How could he not be affected?

“We thought you fell in,” Jade teased.

“Sorry,” Luke muttered, tossing his dirty towel into the bathroom. Then he retrieved a t-shirt from his duffle bag and quickly slipped it over his head. “I needed to get the grime off.”

Zoe’s grime was more like it. Luke had probably scrubbed his skin raw, trying to rid himself of the memories of her advances. Noah wanted to tell him that it would be okay, that Zoe was gone and would never touch him again. And he would…once they were alone.

“You look squeaky clean,” Noah quipped. “Jade has done a fantastic job of entertaining me.”

“You better not have been telling any embarrassing stories about me,” Luke warned as he approached the foot of the bed.

Jade placed her hand on her chest, batting her eyes. “Who me?”

“That’s what I was afraid of,” Luke sighed.

“She’s just pulling your leg, Luke,” Noah said, not wanting to see Luke squirm. He could appreciate what Jade was trying to do, but Luke was obviously in no mood for teasing. “Jade was about to tell me how they figured out where we were being kept.”

Luke sat down on the edge of Noah’s bed. “Oh…do tell.”

“Well…Casey and I heard this screaming and banging coming from the meds room so we went to investigate,” Jade explained. “That’s when we discovered that Alison had been locked in the closet by that psycho chick. You should have seen how Alison was crying like a little girl. It’s not like she had been shot like you were, Noah. Or like…”

“Nothing happened to me,” Luke snapped.

Jade jumped, completely taken aback by Luke’s outburst. “I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to imply that it did.”

“It’s okay,” Noah said, reassuringly rubbing her arm.

“No, it’s not,” Luke insisted, startling Noah with the vehemence of his tone. “Jade, you need to learn that you can’t go around spouting off about things you don’t have a clue about. You don’t know shit about what Noah and I went through.”

“I never…”

Noah could see the tears filling Jade’s eyes, but Luke seemed oblivious as he continued to rant, “You never _think_ , Jade! Never! That’s why you go from one fucked up situation to the next.”

“I’m sorry,” Jade cried, wiping the tears that were now spilling from her eyes. “Please just stop.”

The sight of his cousin crying must have suddenly gotten through to Luke because then he was off the bed and gathering Jade in his arms. “I’m so sorry, Jade, so…so…sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”

“You haven’t had your Java fix in days?” Jade sniffed.

“That must be it,” Luke croaked.

Jade pulled away from Luke, dabbing the rest of her tears away from her eyes. “You must also be exhausted,” she said, rubbing his arm. “Are you sure you don’t want to come home with me and get a good night’s sleep in your own bed?”

“I’m not leaving Noah.”

“Luke, you really do need your rest,” Noah told him. “I’ll be fine. You can go with Jade.”

Luke folded his arms across his chest…a sure sign that he was digging into his foxhole. “I’m not leaving you,” he insisted. “The only way I’m going to get any rest is being right here, knowing that you’re okay.”

“Okay,” Noah agreed, secretly happy that Luke was going to stay. He knew he would sleep better with Luke there and Noah had a good feeling that Luke would too.

“I’m going to stop at the nurses’ station on the way out and make sure that they bring in a rollaway bed for you,” Jade decided. “There’s no way you will be able to get any rest trying to sleep in a chair.”

“Jade, you don’t…” Luke began to protest but his cousin quickly stopped him.

“Please let me do this for you,” she said. Then she gave Luke a quick kiss on the cheek. “Now promise you’ll let me know if you need anything else.”

“I promise. And I’m so sorry for going off on you.”

She waved her hand as she strolled toward the door. “It’s already forgotten. You’ll find a way to make it up to me…a nice dinner or a new pair of shoes…I’ll let you know which I decide.”

Luke grinned. “It’s a deal.” But after Jade left the room, Luke slumped into the chair, frowning. “I’m such an asshole,” he muttered.

“Hey…hey…hey…” Noah said, reaching for his hand. “You’ve been under a lot of stress.”

“Still…it’s no excuse…”

Their conversation was interrupted by the appearance of Dr. Reed. She stopped in to make sure that Noah was still responding well to the antibiotics. After her quick examination, she informed them that a nurse would be in shortly to replace Noah’s IV.

“Do you think I’ll be able to go home tomorrow?” Noah asked, somewhat hopeful.

“Not tomorrow. I definitely want to keep you another day, but if you keep progressing well you might be able to go home the day after,” the doctor informed him.

“I guess I can live with that,” Noah sighed.

“You’ll also need to avoid any heavy lifting and be sure to get lots of rest. I would also recommend that someone stay with you for a few days.”

“You’re coming home with me,” Luke decided.

“Have you asked your parents yet?” Noah asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I will and the answer is going to be yes so just plan on it.”

Dr. Reed smiled. “It sounds like you’re going to be well taken care of.”

“Oh…he is,” Luke assured her, giving Noah’s hand a squeeze.

“I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow,” Dr. Reed said as she strode toward the door. “Try to get a good night’s sleep.”

Shortly after the doctor had left them a nurse arrived with a rollaway bed for Luke. After she changed Noah’s IV, she set up the rollaway bed next to his with Luke’s help. Noah shuffled to the bathroom with his IV in tow. When he returned, Luke was sitting Indian style on the rollaway bed. He looked a bit like a kid ready for a sleepover, not that Noah knew much about those since the Colonel prohibited them.

“Now where were we?” Noah asked once he was settled back in bed.

Luke hopped off the bed and adjusted Noah’s blankets. “Making sure that you get some rest,” he said, brushing his fingers through Noah’s hair.

The collar of Luke’s t-shirt pulled away from his neck, revealing the hickey that Zoe had given him. Noah couldn’t take his eyes off of it. Luke noticed this and quickly covered it with his hand.

“Luke…”

Luke shook his head. “No…”

“Luke, it’s okay…”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Luke said, backing away from the bed, but Noah caught his hand, stopping him.

“Zoe…” Noah began only to get promptly cut off.

“Don’t. Say. Her. Name.” Luke squeezed his eyes shut.

There had to be some way to get through to Luke. Shutting down wasn’t the way to deal with what had almost happened. “Luke,” Noah said softly, drawing Luke back to him. “You’re safe now. It’s just you and me. You can tell me anything.”

Luke sat down on Noah’s bed, but glanced away from him. “There’s nothing to tell.”

Noah reached up, brushing his fingers against Luke’s neck and allowing them to slip underneath the collar of Luke’s t-shirt. His thumb rubbed over the hickey. “This is from her,” he murmured.

Luke balled up his hands into fists, still not looking at him. “I…didn’t…want…”

Oh…no…Luke couldn’t honestly believe that he’d ever think Luke welcomed Zoe’s advances. “Of course you didn’t. She was forcing herself on you,” Noah said as he gently caressed Luke’s shoulder.

Slowly Luke turned his head toward him. “How much did you hear?” he tentatively asked.

“A lot. Enough to know that she planned on…”

“She didn’t!” Luke insisted, not letting Noah finish his sentence. “She didn’t. You stopped her.”

“I will never let anyone hurt you again,” Noah said, his hand moving from Luke’s shoulder, up into his hair which was still damp and tousled. “I failed you when it came to my father, but I’ll never make that mistake again.” He’d never forget that awful afternoon in October when his father raised his shotgun, aiming at Luke. Then Luke sprawled out, unmoving and bleeding at the bottom of that hill. When he’d finally visited Luke in the hospital, Noah had made a vow to himself that from that day forward he’d always protect Luke.

“Noah, what happened with your father wasn’t your fault. We’ve been over this.”

“I know…I know. Zoe better pray that she’s under police protection or behind bars, because if I ever see her again I’ll kill her for what she did to you,” Noah told him. Inside his belly it was as if a black cobra had uncoiled itself and was ready to strike. The feeling of pure rage that was simmering just below the surface frightened Noah. Feelings like that reminded him that he was definitely Colonel Winston Mayer’s son.

Luke shifted uncomfortably. “She didn’t really do anything to me.”

“You have a mark on your neck that says otherwise,” Noah whispered.

“I’m sorry.” Luke’s eyes filled with tears. “You’re the only one who has ever…”

Noah wrapped his good arm around Luke, embracing him. “You have _nothing_ to apologize for… _nothing_. You didn’t ask for any of it.” He needed to show Luke that Noah didn’t blame him for what Zoe did to him. Noah kissed the purple mark left by Zoe, hoping to erase her presence from Luke’s body. As Noah placed soft kiss after soft kiss on the spot, Luke began to sob. “It’s going to be okay,” he murmured, trying to soothe him.

Luke tried calming himself, taking a few deep but ragged breaths. He pulled away slightly from Noah, wiping his eyes. “God…I’m going on and on like a baby,” he muttered. “It was just kiss.”

“It was more than one kiss,” Noah whispered, caressing his damp cheek. “There were several and obviously not all on your lips.”

“Noah…”

“You’ve been through hell, Luke. Your reaction is only natural. She wanted to…”

Again Luke promptly cut him off. “I’m fine. Noah, I’m fine… _please_. You were shot. My god…you could have died.” He squeezed Noah tightly, but was careful not to disturb his injured arm.

“But I didn’t.”

Luke sat back, staring at Noah’s bandaged bicep. “How’s it feeling?”

Noah could see that the attempted rape subject was officially closed. At least for now. Luke wasn’t anywhere near okay. But tonight he could see that he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Luke, who wasn’t even able to admit yet that it was an attempted rape.

_Give Luke a break. Twenty-four hours hasn’t even past since it happened. Let him rest. Damn…we both need rest._

“It’s still a sore, but they keep telling me that I’ll live,” Noah said, forcing a chuckle.

Now who was avoiding issues?

“Noah, I was so scared that I was going to lose you.” Luke tentatively touched Noah’s bandage. “I don’t even want to think of how I could have survived without you…” his voice cracked.

“There was no way in hell I was going to leave you alone with Zac and Zoe,” Noah tried to lighten the mood. Luke had shed way too many tears. Noah was afraid that if he started crying as well he might not be able to stop.

“I don’t think I’m ever going to leave you alone again,” Luke admitted, brushing his fingers through Noah’s hair. Then he glanced over at the rollaway bed. “I don’t even want to sleep over there. It’s too far away from you.”

“Then sleep right here with me,” Noah suggested. Even though the rollaway was only a few feet away from his bed it might as well have been miles. After spending days tied back to back, Noah had become quite accustomed to having Luke within easy touching distance.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I want to hold you…at least with my good arm,” Noah insisted, scooting over a bit so that Luke would have room to sleep.

“Soon you’ll be able to hold me with both,” Luke murmured, snuggling up against Noah’s chest.

Now this was more like it. This was how they belonged. “It almost feels like we’re tucked away in my dorm room,” Noah mused.

“If only,” Luke muttered, shifting slightly. “I swear I can still smell her…feel her…”

Noah buried his nose in Luke’s hair, inhaling. All he could smell was the expensive shampoo which he always associated with his boyfriend. “You smell like my Luke,” Noah assured him. “You’re always going to be _my_ Luke. No matter what.”

“I love you, Noah,” Luke said softly.

Usually when they were together in bed, getting ready to go to sleep this declaration was followed by a nice, long goodnight kiss. But not tonight. “I love you too,” Noah murmured, kissing the top of Luke’s head.

Closing his eyes, Noah relished the feeling of Luke’s dick nestled against his thigh. Even though it was separated from his skin by layers of clothing and wasn’t hard, Noah could still feel the heat radiating from it, which comforted him. He had to fight the urge to slide his hand down the back of Luke’s lounge pants. The desire to finger Luke’s ass was strong.

 _Stop it,_ Noah silently chastised himself. _You shouldn’t be thinking about sex right now. Luke needs his rest. You need your rest. There will be plenty of time for sex once you’re out of the hospital. Luke isn’t going anywhere and neither are you._

Finally Noah drifted off to sleep. But it was far from peaceful. Actually, it was downright horrific…

_“Oh yeah, Zoe, this is so good…you feel so good…” Luke moaned._

_“I told you that you’d like it,” Zoe purred._

_“Like it? I fuckin love it! I. Love. Fucking. You.”_

_“Luke,” Noah managed to call out to him through the pain. Oh there was so much pain…just excruciating. The fever had to be making him hallucinate. Luke couldn’t be having sex with Zoe. No…that wasn’t possible. Maybe she forced him. That had to be it._

_But didn’t he just say that he loved fucking her?_

_He’s lying…trying to get her guard down. Luke loves fucking me._

_“Luke.” Noah struggled to turn his head…to see what exactly was happening. He managed to catch a glimpse of Zoe, naked from the waist down, straddling Luke, raising and lowering her hips at a frantic pace. There was no doubt that they were fucking. “Leave him alone, Zoe!”_

_She cackled wickedly. “He’s mine, Noah. And I’m going to get a piece of him forever.”_

_“No!”_

_“Suck my tits, Luciano,” she commanded, tearing off her shirt and bra. “Come on…suck ‘em like a good boy.” Zoe leaned forwarded, her breasts within licking distance from Luke’s mouth._

_Much to Noah’s horror, Luke eagerly complied, his tongue snaking along one of her stiff nipples. Then he closed his mouth over the entire thing, suckling like a newborn._

_“That’s it, baby. Keep sucking,” she murmured, cradling his head. “You’re so good at this.”_

_“I love it,” Luke breathed. “Come on, ride me, Zoe…harder. Don’t stop…make me come.”_

_“Luke, no…no…you can’t get her pregnant!” Noah cried._

_“Shut up, Noah!” Luke spat. “I want her to have my baby. You can’t give me children. The Grimaldi name must live on!”_

_“No…Luke…please…”_

_“Oh…yeah…that’s it…” Luke groaned loudly._

_Zoe tossed her head back. “Ohhhh…I can feel your seed filling me…I’m going to get pregnant. I just know it!”_

_“Noooo!” Noah screamed._

_“Aren’t you dead yet, Noah?” Luke’s voice chilled him to the bone. “Just die…die…”_

 

Noah’s eyes flew opened as the horrendous dream jolted him awake. Oh, thank god…it was only a dream. Luke was still in bed with him, his arm draped around his waist.

Thank god… thank god…

As he was trying to calm himself, Noah became aware that he could hear Luke muttering ever so softly, “No…no… don’t…please give Noah the meds…I can’t…I can’t…”

He wasn’t the only one still haunted by Zoe. “You’re safe, Luke,” Noah whispered, kissing the top of Luke’s head. “I’ve got you. Zoe isn’t going to hurt you.” He caressed Luke’s back until he was silent.

Once again, Noah drifted off to sleep, but this time it was a mercifully dreamless slumber.

 

****

********

Noah didn’t mention his nightmare to Luke when they woke up the next morning. And if Luke remembered what he was dreaming about, he didn’t share it with Noah. When the nurse delivered his breakfast tray, Luke ran down the cafeteria to bring back something to eat for himself.

“I ran into Dr. Bob on my way to the cafeteria,” Luke told him when he returned. “He said that all of my test results came back fine.” He took a bite of his breakfast sandwich which looked much more appetizing than Noah’s scrambled eggs and wheat toast.

Noah grinned. “That’s great.”

“Hopefully we’ll get more good news and Dr. Reed will tell us that she’s releasing you tomorrow.”

“I hope so,” Noah sighed. “If I’m going to be cooped up in bed, I’d prefer to be naked with you.”

“I think we might be able to swing that,” Luke said, slyly.

“At your parents’ house? Did you even ask them if I could stay?”

Luke rubbed Noah’s leg. “They do go to work so we’re going to have alone time,” he reminded him. “I’ll ask them today when I stop home to get more clothes…if that’s alright with you.”

“You don’t have to stay here 24/7,” Noah replied. “I’ll be okay.” Luke still looked a little ragged. Keeping vigil at Noah’s bedside hadn’t been helping Luke’s recovery from their captivity. Luke needed to take care of himself.

“I like being here with you.”

“And I like having you here.”

“So what’s the problem?” Luke asked, polishing off the rest of his sandwich.

“Nothing. But at least promise me if I fall asleep you’ll take a break from all of this.”

“Okay…but it will only be a short one. I won’t leave you for the entire day.”

Noah grinned. “I wouldn’t want you to,” he admitted. “It would be lonely without you.”

And Luke had held true to his word. At some point Noah fell asleep and when he woke up a couple of hours later Luke was gone. Dr. Reed had given him great news after examining him. He’d be released the following morning. She had told him that she’d send up the physical therapist that was going to be assigned his case to go over what his therapy would entail. Noah hoped that Luke would be back by then since he was going to be taking him to and from the appointments.

Noah was about a half hour in to watching _Anatomy of a Murder_ with Jimmy Stewart and Lee Remick when Luke returned. Luke immediately filled him in as to where he’d been for the past few hours. First he’d had lunch with Damian, Lily, and Holden at the Lakeview, which he had termed “interesting” since his parents had been under the impression that Damian was going to return to Malta. But Luke’s parents had given their consent to having Noah as their houseguest during his convalescence…even agreeing that he could stay in Luke’s room with him.

After lunch he made a trip to the police station to give his official statement. Margo had assured him that Zac and Zoe would most likely be going to jail for a very long time, especially Zac who had murdered the police officer that had been assigned to watch over Luke.

Hearing that Zac had murdered a cop, sent chills through Noah’s body. Zac really could have killed him. Up until that point Noah had been dismissing that notion, constantly telling himself that Zac was just some inept loser. Really he’d been guilty of thinking that about both Zac and Zoe, but now he knew otherwise.

Zac and Zoe were dangerous…capable of murder, rape, kidnapping, extortion and god only knows what else. Noah was lucky to have escaped with a relatively minor gunshot wound and Luke without having been raped. He wondered if Luke had also realized the gravity of the situation they had been in.

Later that afternoon, Alison had come by to show Luke how to change Noah’s dressing since it would need to be done on a regular basis for a couple of weeks after his release. Noah was impressed that Luke hadn’t been the least bit squeamish as Alison demonstrated the procedure to him.

Right before dinner, his physical therapist, Rick, stopped by to talk to them about Noah’s therapy regimen which would begin in a couple of days. He left a set of exercises that Noah would be able to do at home in addition to the ones they’d be doing at the hospital.

During dinner they watched _Roman Holiday_ , which was a movie that Noah could watch countless times. After his trip to Rome last September, he could appreciate the movie even more since he’d visited a lot of the locations in person.

“Hey…you don’t have to stay the night with me,” Noah told Luke after the movie had ended. He was pretty confident that he was capable of spending some time on his own. Spending the evening with Luke had calmed Noah’s nerves and made him pretty sleepy. He was positive that he’d be able to sleep through the night.

“I want to,” Luke assured him. “I like spending the night with you.”

Noah raised his eyebrow. “In a hospital?”

“In a hospital, in a storage locker, in your dorm room, in my room…”

“In a box with a fox?”

“Anywhere.”

“Then how about tomorrow night in your bed?” Noah suggested. “I think we should both really try to get a good night’s sleep.”

“Didn’t you sleep well last night?” Luke asked, his brown eyes studying him, searching for clues.

“I don’t think anyone can really get a lot of rest in the hospital,” Noah carefully countered.

“Isn’t that the truth?” Luke muttered.

“And if you’re going to help me with my physical therapy…”

“Fine…fine,” Luke reluctantly relented. “I will go home to my lonely bed tonight. I’ll try to sleep, but I most likely won’t.”

“Come on…you’ve been dying to stretch out in your bed,” Noah said, nudging him.

“It will be nice and even nicer when you’re in it with me tomorrow night.” Luke stood up. “I guess I should go then, but I’ll be back tomorrow morning to rescue you.” Then Luke leaned over, placing a quick, chaste kiss on Noah’s lips. “Love ya.”

“Love you too,” Noah said, gazing up at him. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.”

A slight smile played on Luke’s lips. “You too.”

After Luke left for the night, Noah’s room suddenly seemed so empty and lonely. Gone was Luke’s endless chit chat, leaving the room eerily quiet. Even the lack of Luke’s presence was a bit unnerving. Noah had become quite accustomed to being able to reach out and grab his hand, stroke his arm, or just nudge him whenever he needed reassurance that they were both there, safe. Now he was alone. But it was what he wanted.

Or thought he wanted.

When Luke was with him, Noah was able to focus on him...able to make sure that he was okay…taken care of. Without Luke to think about, Noah’s mind drifted back to his six days in captivity. There had been Zac’s blatant come-ons, which Noah was eternally thankful that they hadn’t led to a sexual assault. Noah was also very fortunate that Zac hadn’t aimed better when he’d fired the gun. He could have been killed instantly…just like the poor police officer.

Noah would never, ever forget Luke’s desperate pleas encouraging him to fight as he slipped in and out of consciousness. Luke saved him, gave him hope. He stopped Noah from allowing himself to just slip away. Noah hadn’t wanted to leave Luke alone with Zac and Zoe. He’d needed to make sure they both got out safely. And they had.

Everything was going to be okay now. Noah would return to school next week, hopefully he wouldn’t be too behind on his classes. He’d go to physical therapy and his arm would be as good as new. It would be as if nothing ever happened.

And that’s what Noah kept telling himself. Over and over until eventually he fell asleep, even though it was strange having the hospital bed to himself. However, his serene snooze gave way to sinister images…

 

_“I can’t get the bleeding to stop,” Luke cried. “There’s so much blood. Noah…baby…you gotta hang on.”_

_Luke’s voice seemed so far away. Noah felt as if he were sinking into the deep, cold ocean._

_All of the warmth seemed to be slowly sucked from his body. Desperately he tried to see and touch Luke but there was nothing but icy darkness._

_“Luke…where…are…you?” Noah could barely hear himself ask._

_“I’m right here, baby,” Luke sobbed. “Stay with me…stay with me…”_

_But he couldn’t. Luke was gone and he was left alone in an empty black hole._

Noah woke up, sweating and shaking. The nightmare was far from over.


End file.
